THURSDAY, MARCH 24
Scripture: Matthew 23:34-36

Matthew 23:34-36 says, “Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” In this passage Jesus explains how fullness of iniquity comes to a nation when He said He sent them prophets and wise men trying to get them to repent, but they abused them, crucified some, scourged others in the synagogues and persecuted them from city to city. What we see here is that God’s surrendered people sometimes pay the price when the cup of iniquity in being filled. And when that cup is full, verse 35 says, “…that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.” While God brings obedient servants into His Kingdom and rewards them for their obedience, their mistreatment is what fills the cup that brings the judgment on a generation and on the nation. In 70 AD, they saw it! There is no doubt that it came just as Jesus declared it would. The question is, are we about to see history repeated? It is entirely possible we will if our nation refuses to turn.